Electric appliance stand



Jan'12{1954 c. A. CRAWFORD r-:- AL 2,666,128

' ELECTRIC APPLIANCE STAND Filed Feb. 2s. 1951 V l2O 55 27 I3 2l |e- 56 22 '8 66 l5 .7 ,l

34 5| L33 2 47 Q A 6 .45 53 545 nventor Gttorneg Patented Jan. 12, 1954 ELECTRIC APPLIANCE STAND Clark A. Crawford and John F. Frazier, Corning,

N. Y., assignors to Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 23, 1951, Serial No. 212,366

' 9 claims. (ci. 21a- 43) The present invention relates to a stand adapted to connect the terminals of a source of electric current With the terminals of an electrically actuated appliance arranged thereon and is particularly directed to the provision of certain safety features in connection with such a stand designed for manual operation.

I'he use of appliances With integral elements for heating or other purposes and designed for operation by electric current supplied thereto by a. stand has become widespread. Such stands are customarily provided with current supply electrodes adapted to be engaged and depressed by the terminals of the appliance upon placement of the appliance thereon. To protect the user against electric shock it has been customary to provide in the stand facilities for preventing the connection of current to the electrodes until they have been made inaccessible to the user by placement of the appliance on the stand.

When the appliance is in the form of a glass cooking vessel it is particularly desirable also that all possible precautions be taken to prevent the inadvertent connection of current thereto when the vessel is empty since otherwise overheating and resultant damage to the vessel are likely to occur. The prevention of such overheating becomes particularly important when the glass vessel comprises a tempered bowl provided with an electrically conducting coating, e. g., a coilee-maker bowl as described in Crawford- Miller Patent No. 2,609,478.

The present invention provides a simpliiied but novel arrangement for accomplishing these and other safety features in such a stand adapted for connection of the current source with the appliance by means of a manually operated switch. In accordance with the invention, there is provided means cooperative with one of the currentsupply electrodes to prevent operation of the switch member when the stand is unoccupied and to permit operation thereof only upon placement of the appliance upon the stand in a position to engage and depress the electrodes. 'There may also be included in this arrangement means for automatically restoring the switch member to its initial position upon removal of the appliance from the stand. W-here the appliance is designed for the application of heat, means may be additionally provided for automatically restoring the switch member in the event that the temperature of the appliance while it is on the stand exceeds a predetermined value.

--The details of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following'- description Fig. 3 is a schematic fragmentary View partly in section illustrating the essential operative elements of the stand and the electrical connec-l tions thereto.

As shown in the drawing, the stand assembly includes a circular base of a suitable dielectric material, for example, a plastic, having a shallow cylindrical band II provided with a number of upwardly projecting appliance-confining elements I3. Band II surrounds a generally convex disc I5 having a central hub I6 and, in the area adjoining band II, provided with a number of appliance-support fins I1 desirably formed integrally with the elements I3. Intermediate ns I? and hub I6 are a number of bosses I8. A heat deilector 20, which may be formed of metal, surrounds hub I6 and is held thereto and against bosses I8 by a split ring 2l occupying a groove in hub i6. Disc I5 has several apertures 22 provided to permit free circulation of air to aid deiiector 20 in protecting the base from attaining an objectionable temperature during use of the appliance.

A spring 25 secured to a boss 26 (Fig. 3) formed on the bottom side of disc I 5, resiliently supports a current-supply electrode comprising a plunger 21 extending up into the bore of hub I6. The other end of spring 25 is connected by a conductor 29 with a contact spring 28. Spring 28 is cooperative with a contact spring 36 having its free end bent down for operative engagement by an actuator 3l. v

A spring 33 is secured at one end to a boss 34 and at the other end resiliently supports a current-supply electrode comprising a plunger 36 passing through an aperture in disc I5 outside the lateral limit of deflector 20. Spring 33, near the end carrying plunger 36, is provided with a contact 3l adapted for engagement with a contact carried by a spring 38 havingits free end bent upward in a manner to adapt it for move'- ment by the actuator 3|. The space between the contact 31 and that of spring 38 is such however that punger 36 must be depressed to bring range f eilected by actual placing of the appliance on the stand so that accidental heating of glass and similar vessels is substantially eliminated.

What is claimed is:

l. In a stand for an appliance having an electric heating element, resiliently supported current-supply electrodes adapted to be engaged `and moved to anxalternative position byxfthe terminals of the heating element of `the appliance upon its deposit on the stand, an operating cirzcuit for said element including a pair of contacts .Y .a nrst of which is adapted to be moved to an occupied by a stationary dog 54 which is integral with the disc l5 and which normally .prevents movement of the slide memberj to itsalternative position. The free end of member 52normal1y projects below extension 21 on the lower end of plunger 21 which upon being 'suitably depressed, as when the stand is occupied vby an appliance such as vessel V, engages member 52 andY lowersit clear of dog 54. (As indicated in Fig. 2, vessel V may comprise aglass bowl having an electrically conducting coating on its base and provided with a peripheral terminal 56 for yengagement with plunger 36 and with a central terminal having a projection 51 for engagement .with plunger 2T.)

With member 52 held clear of dog 54, knob y50 may be seized and the slide member 45 pulled out against thetenson of spring 5| tc a position in which actuator 3| brings the contacts of springs 3D `and 3B into engagement with the contacts of springs 2.8 and 33 respectively. In

the movement of slide member 45 toits alterna tive position the free end of lock member 52 is member .45 under the iniiuence of spring 5| is ,Y

therefore prevented since the extension 21 of plunger 21 is now in the return path of mem ber 52.

Engagement of the contacts of springs 30 and 38 with the respective contacts of springs 28 and l 33 establishes electrical connection of the current supplied by a cord to the appliance via plungers '21 and 36. As depicted in Fig. 3 current is supplied to the conducting coating 55 of vessel V from a current source terminal X, through springs 30 and 28, conductor 29, spring 25, and plunger 21, and returns through plunger 36, springs 33 and 38 to the Y terminal of the same current source.

The disconnection of current is eiected by momentarily lifting the vessel from the stand to permit plunger 21 to restore to its initial position under the influence of its supporting spring 25. As soon as plunger extension 21 is raised clear of member 52, spring 5| is enabled to effect the restoration of the member 45 and the respective parts under its control to their original Y its control to their initial positions.

.By .means of the ,present arrangement, then, 'connection of the -current source can onlybe alternative position by one of said electrodes in its movement 'tojits alternative position, a normally locked mechanism for moving the secondA contact of said .pair to a position to engage the 4first contact when such first contact is occupying its alternative position, said mechanism being adapted to be unlocked by the other of said electrodes in its movement to its alternative position, and a manuallyoperable member for actuating said mechanism to'move Athetsocnnrl of said contacts to a position to `engage ythelimt thereof when the same is occupying its alternative position. y

2. A structure suchas defined by claim lfwhich includes means energized by movement `lof ,said

member from its normal to its :alternativeposition for restoring said member and lsaidnxech-v anism to their normal positions.

3. A structure such 'as `deiined by claim. 2, which includes means for preventing restoration of said member while said other .electrodefre ,mains in its alternative position. 4. A structure such as dened by claim..3 wherein temperature responsive `.means 1is pro vided to disable said last means.

5. In a stand for an appliance having anelectric heating element, two current-supply electrodes adapted to be depressed by the terminals of the heating element of the appliance upon-'its deposit on said stand, a circuit for said element including contacts connected to said electrodes. one of said contacts being moved to an alternative position upon depression of its electrode, a manually operable member having contacts associated therewith and included in said circuit for connection of the terminals of a vcurrent lsc urce to said iirstcontacts aftersaidelectrodes have been depressed, and locking means normally preventing the operation of ysaid manually operable member and adapted to be 'released'.by one of said electrodes upon its depression.

6. In an electrical appliance stand assembly, an ,apertured appliance support, .a pair ofn'esiliently supported current-supply electrodes projecting up through apertures in said support Yand adapted to be engaged and depressed by the terminals of an appliance upon its deposit on said support, a manually operable member .for connecting the terminals of a current source with `said electrodes, a spring tensioned during the operation of said member to effect its subsequent restoration, means to prevent the operation .of saidmanually operable member, one of saidfelec-f trodes upon being depressed being cooperative with said means to free such member ,for openation, said means in part being cooperative with one of said electrodes for preventing the restoration of said member until .such electrode .has been restored to its initial position.

7. A structure such as defined by claim z6, which includes a temperature responsive `means for disabling the last defined .part of saidiother means. V:

8. In a stand for an electrically heated appliance, an electrode adapted to be engaged and depressed by a heating element terminal of such appliance when the same is deposited on the stand, a member movable between two aite1na tive positions to establish and disestablish electrical connection between said electrode and a current supply terminal, and a movable element cooperative with a xed portion of said stand to prevent movement of said member, one of said electrodes being adapted, upon movement to its depressed position, to move said element clear of said fixed stand portion, said element being thereupon cooperative with said electrode to prevent restoration of said member until said eleotrode has been restored to its initial position.

9. A structure such as defined by claim 8, which includes means for restoring said member and a thermally operable-device for disabling said element from being any longer cooperative 2 with said electrode to prevent restoration of said member in case an appliance arranged on the stand attains a predetermined temperature.

CLARK A. CRAWFORD. JOI-IN F. FRAZIER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,637,155 Marsden July 26, 1927 1,994,877 Shoop et al Mar. 19, 1935 2,269,689 Reichold Jan. 13, 1942 2,287,584 Weeks June 23, 1942 2,445,591 Sullivan July 20, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 364,271- Great Britain Jan. 7, 1932 374,971 France June 23, 1932 

